Find your ring on www.MerryMatrimony.com!

QUALITY STONES

Diamond quality acutally has nothing to do with size or color alone. Understanding the 4C's will help you select the diamond with the best quality and value.

Cut

The cut is the most important of the 4C's because a well-cut diamond is better able to handle light, creating more sparkle. Do not confuse the cut with the shape of the diamond they are entirely different.

Color

The best colr for a diamond is actually no color at all. A totally colorless diamond is the best which allow the stone tor eflect light. The color of diamonds are rated on a scale from D, which is the highest rating (colorless), to Z, the lowest color rating.

Clarity

A majority of diamonds contain very tiny inclusions, or flaws, visible only through a jeweler's loupe. The fewer and smaller the inclusions are the less they will interefer with the passafe of light through the diamond. Most jewelers use the following rating system the will help you understand the clarity of your stone. A flawless stone is very rare, and are the most valuable and of course the most expensive.

FL (flawless)

IF (internally flawless-minor surface blemishes)

VVS1-VVS2 (very, very small inclusions)

VS1-VS2 (very small inclusions)

SI1-SI2 (small inclusions)

I1-I2-I3 (imperfect-eye visible inclusions)

Carat

The weight of the diamond is measure in carats. One carat is divided into 100 points. So a diamond of 50 points weighs .50 carat, or 1/2 of a carat. Two duanibds if equal wieght can have very unequal value, depending on their other characteristics. Fine quality can be found in diamonds of all shapes and sizes.